I’m increasingly finding myself annoyed with our “I’m so busy” culture. It’s not the fact that people are busy, that I understand–it’s wearing “busy” like a badge of honor that I’m reacting to. Why do we do this?
When I’m moving too fast I know I’m more reactive (ask my three teenagers). I don’t make great decisions (or I’m paralyzed to make them at all) and I don’t like the way I feel. My skin just doesn’t fit. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.
Last week I was at the grocery store and I was moving so fast that the cashier said, “You must be on your lunch hour, are you in a really big hurry?” It really struck me that I was behaving that way. I wasn’t in a hurry at all. I was actually moving so quickly that I was making someone else uncomfortable. This encounter has really stayed with me.
When I slow myself down—I like myself better and I can see things more clearly.
There is always time to take a single breath, or close our eyes even for a second.
When I took this picture today in my studio I was moving frantically. I then shot the same image after I took a breath and steadied myself. These images tell very different stories, don’t they? I’m not saying I’ll never move too quickly, of course I will. However, when I have the awareness I’ll try to slow myself down and see what happens.
I’m hardly a ZEN MASTER. I’m just trying.